A sideman in Greg Osby’s group, bassist-composer Joseph Lepore lays down hip, insistently swinging grooves with drummer Nasheet Waits on this potent neo-bop outing. Tenor saxophonist Lance Murphy and vibraphonist Tim Collins wail with distinction throughout. The group sizzles on the frantic “Running” before settling into the waltz-time ballad “Waiting for Better Times,” underscored by Waits’ alluring brushwork. The tempo-shifting “Sphere’s” reflects Lepore’s love of Monk, while the urgently swinging “The Big Apple” reflects his love of NYC. (He was born in the Big Apple and raised in Italy.) And the evocative “Drawing Hands” is reminiscent of Wayne Shorter’s “Fall.”
Originally PublishedJoseph Lepore: Journal
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